Style and Color Selection

Check out some color combinations and information on Art Deco at Colorbuzz.com!

Check out some color combinations and information on Art Deco at Colorbuzz.com!

When you're choosing a color scheme for your house, inside or outside, architectural style can provide a wealth of clues. Researching the color palette of various styles can greatly speed your selection. Here are some common styles.

American Colonial

In less affluent homes, earth tones made from native plants and minerals were common. In affluent homes, blue was a signature color (it was expensive), as were shades of green and pink. Red was used as an accent. On the outside, white was most common, along with blue, beige, gray, ochre, and cream. Shades of red, brown, and green accented trim and shutters.

Victorian

Victorians loved bold colors inside and out. Ruby red, forest green, and amber were paired with complementary colors to create high drama, with neutrals used as transitions in hallways and connecting rooms. Exterior color schemes varied with the location of the home. You'd find light warm colors in rural areas, with darker or lighter trim to bring out detail. In the city, deeper earth tones hid the effects of dirty air, along with schemes designed to highlight the interesting patterns of gingerbread detailing.

"Cool" defines Art Deco, with machine-age figures set off against pastels and blue. Cream, beige, ivory, and gray accented blues, black, green, and red. The exterior Art Deco palette most often followed the same schemes as interior designs.

Southwestern

The colors of the desert -- pink, yellow, tan, and beige -- dominate this style, with accent colors equally natural -- deep blue from the sky, dark red from the surrounding soils, and terra-cotta.

The style of homes that fit this category are either log cabins or houses with architectural motifs borrowing from Craftsman style. Natural stone, brick, and wood create a harmonious unity between the landscape and the home. Thus you'll find the colors of the outdoors repeated in the decor of mountain homes -- brown, tan, beige, and sage green, accented with earthy red, sky blue, and forest green.

Midwestern

Farmhouses were almost universally white, though now and then you would find off-white cream colors, as well as medium yellow. Wine red and dark forest green accented door frames, window trim, and shutters -- a throwback to East Coast color schemes brought to the prairie.

Miami Deco

This style is a variation of the Art Deco style, with a bit of the tropical thrown in. Pink predominates, as do shades of peach, yellow, green, and sea blue. Reflecting its location, coral is a common accent, as are orange and lime green.